


Two Boys Go to War

by rubyofkukundu



Category: Original Work
Genre: Angst, Historical, M/M, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-02-10
Updated: 2010-02-10
Packaged: 2017-12-07 04:29:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/744264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rubyofkukundu/pseuds/rubyofkukundu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Winter, 1914, and two boys go to war.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Two Boys Go to War

**Author's Note:**

> Written in 102 minutes for the prompt: Hidden Things.
> 
> Originally posted here: <http://petitte-soeur.livejournal.com/91847.html>

Winter, 1914, and two boys go to war.  
  
***  
  
Archie laughs. "Look at you in your uniform!"  
  
George plucks at his jacket. "Suits me, does it?"  
  
Archie laughs some more. "We’re going to show those Germans, the two of us. Georgie, we're going to be heroes!"  
  
It's George's turn to laugh this time. "I'm not sure about that," he says, "but it'll be fun to go abroad."  
  
The look in Archie's eyes turns wistful, and George's breath catches in his throat. "Yes. I've always wanted to travel." Archie says, "and now I finally can." He grins, widely, and the sight of it fills George with warmth.  
  
***  
  
Years later, only one of them comes back.  
  
***  
  
It's hard for George. It's really hard to be back home where everything's normal and there's no death and disease. He should be glad, really; they won! A hero's return!  
  
It doesn't feel like it.  
  
Archie died three years ago, but it still only seems like yesterday. George feels as if a part of him has broken off and been lost.  
  
It's horrible.  
  
Archie left behind him a wife and a young child. It doesn't take long for George to find them again once he's back in his home town.  
  
Sarah's not doing well. She's a young widow now, with an extra mouth to feed. She'd only been married to Archie for a year before he'd gone away to war. Archie had hardly even gotten a chance to get to know his son.  
  
Little Freddy.  
  
So George settles in down the street and does all he can to help. Finding a job so that he can give them his wages, and spending his time with them to help raise the boy.  
  
People might talk about it being wrong for George to visit so frequently. It's not right for a man to spend so much time with a woman who's not his wife. At first the neighbours expected George to propose, but he didn't, and that's when they started talking.  
  
George doesn't listen to them though. It's not like that. It's never been like that. Not with Sarah.  
  
He just wants to do his best for Archie's family.  
  
***  
  
"You don't like Sarah, do you?" accuses Archie with a slight slur as they wind their way back from the pub. "You've never liked her, Georgie."  
  
George frowns. "That's…" he looks at Archie and sighs. "She's a nice girl. And I'm sure she's going to make you happy." He gives Archie his best smile, "I'm glad you're going to be able to marry the girl you love. I'm happy for you."  
  
Archie slaps him on the back, a little too heavily. "I'm glad," he says. "I'm glad you approve, Georgie."  
  
***  
  
After he's been back for a year or so, George's uncle dies and George inherits his corner shop. It's hard work, but it's good to have a solid job and a solid income. George spends most of the money on Sarah and little Freddy; he'd spend all of it on them if he could, but Sarah won't let him.  
  
And little Freddy is growing up so fast.  
  
He's six now, running around in short trousers, and playing games with the other children on the streets. Such a happy little boy.  
  
And he loves to hear about his father.  
  
"Tell me, uncle George!" he says, jumping onto George's knee, "tell me about my Dad again! What was he like?"  
  
George smiles down at him. It had been difficult, at first, to dredge up all the memories, to remember what it was that he'd lost, but the tale gets easier each time he tells it. And it's wonderful to see little Freddy's eyes light up when he hears it.  
  
"You're father was a brave man," says George. "Even at the end, he wasn't scared. He was still laughing."  
  
***  
  
"They asked you to do what?" says George in alarm.  
  
Archie gives him a patient look. "They want me to go scout out the situation," he says. "Something big's going to happen, and they're gathering information."  
  
It's all George can do not to grab onto Archie's arm. "But right now?" he asks. "It's dangerous out there, Archie!"  
  
Archie laughs flippantly. "Of course it is, Georgie!" he says. "It's fucking no-man's land!"  
  
George goes to say something else, but Archie stops him with a hand on his arm.  
  
"Don't worry. I'll be alright. I'm quick and nimble; you know that. That's why they asked me to go, after all."  
  
George tries to swallow down his anxiety. "Are you sure, Archie? Isn't there anything I can do to stop you?"  
  
"It was an order, Georgie; you know I can't refuse." He looks at George and laughs. "I said _don't worry_. I'll be fine. I'll be back in no time."  
  
George tries to believe him, tries to absorb some of Archie's confidence. It almost works as he watches Archie climb up out of the trench.  
  
But then Archie gets hit by the mortar.  
  
***  
  
George tries to compose himself. It won't do for a young boy to see a grown man cry.  
  
Little Freddy's eyes are shining with pride. "A hero's death!"  
  
"Yes," George smiles down at him, "your father was a hero."  
  
"What else was my father like?"  
  
"Well," says George, "he was kind, and cheerful. Nothing could get him down. He was honest. He was clever. He…"  
  
 _He was beautiful._  
  
George is very careful not to say _that_ though. What he says instead is, "He was a good man."  
  
Freddy stares up at him, wide-eyed and happy, but it turns to a scowl as Sarah enters the room and tells him to go get washed up for dinner.  
  
She leans in the doorway as Freddy stomps his way upstairs. "He loves to hear your stories about his father."  
  
George smiles sadly. "Yes."  
  
She wipes her hands on her apron and folds her arms. "He grows more like him every day, you know. Sometimes I think he's almost the spitting image of his father."  
  
George stares at the floor. "I'd noticed."  
  
And it's true. As the months pass, Freddy only grows more like his father. Not only does he have the same face, the same eyes, and the same smile, he has the same cheerful disposition too, the same sense of humour.  
  
Sometimes watching Freddy grow up is very painful.  
  
***  
  
"I've got plans for my son," says Archie. "I want him to have a good life."  
  
George wraps his coat around him and listens. It's often on cold nights like this that Archie likes to talk about his son.  
  
"He's going to grow up clever," says Archie, "and rich. I'll see to that. He won't want for anything. I'll get him apprenticed into a good trade."  
  
Archie pauses, like he's thinking, and George smiles.  
  
"You're going to inherit your uncle's shop, aren't you, Georgie? A trade like that. That'd be good. If I could get my son to…"  
  
"I'll take him on as an apprentice, if you like," offers George.  
  
"You would?" Archie beams at him and George's heart flutters. "You're a good friend to me, Georgie," he says. "You really are."  
  
***  
  
George is true to his word. When Freddy is sixteen, he takes him up as his apprentice, and Freddy comes to work in his shop.  
  
It should be a good thing, but with Freddy there every day, it grows even more difficult.  
  
If, when Freddy was younger, it was hard to ignore the similarities with his father, now it's almost impossible.  
  
Freddy's growing up and he's growing older. Sometimes George forgets that it's not Archie he's talking to. Sometimes George feels like he…  
  
But it's not Archie, it's Freddy. It's his friend's son, and George really shouldn't be having these thoughts. Not about the way Freddy is filling out in the shoulders. Not about the way his eyes light up when he laughs.  
  
Even if he looks so similar.  
  
Archie was only a couple of years older himself when he and George first put on their uniform.  
  
But the thought of Freddy putting on uniform. The thought of Freddy marching off to war, makes George sick with fear, so he tries to think about other things instead. Things that don’t involve Freddy and how much it aches when he watches him.  
  
George wishes he could be a better father figure to the boy. Wishes his thoughts could be more fatherly.  
  
"Hey," says Freddy, late one night when he's helping George stock the shelves. George had been watching the strength in the boy's arms as he'd been lifting boxes of tins. Guiltily, as Freddy turns round to face him, George averts his gaze.  
  
"I've noticed, you know," says Freddy. "Don't think I haven't."  
  
Suddenly, George's mouth goes dry. "Freddy," he says, "I don't know what…"  
  
"The way you look at me," says Freddy. "I've noticed."  
  
It feels as if all the strength has left George's legs. He collapses back onto his stool. So that's it then. He'll have to leave town. His hands are shaking. There's no way he can stay here, not if the boy's going tell everyone and….  
  
"Hey," says Freddy again, and somehow he's managed to walk over while George was busy panicking. George looks at him, at those eyes.  
  
The eyes of the man he loved. The eyes of his son.  
  
Freddy laughs at him, happily. "Don't worry," he says, "I'm not my father, you know, Georgie." Then he steps forward and kisses him.  
  
There's a crash as a box of tins is knocked to the floor.  
  
***  
  
"Hey Georgie," says Archie quietly, "if I die, promise me you'll look after my boy."  
  
"I will," says George, "of course I will."  
  
Archie smiles at him. "You've always been such a good friend to me, Georgie," he says. "Thank you."  
  
And George can't help but smile in return.


End file.
